Circle Unveils Heavyweight Partners for Blockchain Network Arc

Circle has revealed its founding partners for Arc, a new blockchain network focused on digital payments and financial applications. The list includes heavyweight names such as BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, Intercontinental Exchange (parent company of the New York Stock Exchange), Galaxy, Global Payments, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, and Sumitomo Corporation.

These partners will act as network operators, verifying transactions, securing the infrastructure, and adding new blocks to the chain. Their involvement represents an acknowledgment from traditional finance of the long-term value of tokenized assets and blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

The Arc network is designed as a distributed network governed initially by between 10 and 12 firms, with a projection to grow to 20 or 40 operators over time. Each participant will be part of a staking infrastructure in which ARC token holders will be able to vote on key components of the network.

BlackRock will integrate its tokenized fund BUIDL into Arc using USDC, and the DTCC will add tokenized traditional assets starting in the second half of 2027. Circle holds 25% of the initial supply of 10 billion ARC tokens, allowing it to participate in the validator infrastructure and earn staking revenue.